After years of study, tons of practice sessions, and an immersive, 3-week study in China, I'm FINALLY nearing completion with this website and opening services to the public!
How I got here
If you're here from my Feng Shui Website and read the story, you'll already know a little about what got me here.
I started a cleaning service back in 2010-ish (though this was already after having done everything from Post Construction Cleaning to Vehicle detail for years prior). My main incentive at the time was paying my way through an Associate's and Personal Training Degree, but I ended up sticking with it after coming to appreciate the flexibility and satisfaction inherent in the work I was doing. After spending enough time in homes and getting to appreciate on a deeper level what exactly my clients and I found so satisfying in my work, I got deeper into the fundamentals of what makes a home feel good beyond merely being clean. Why did some homes feel better than others before and after I'd left? How is it that nearly-identical homes can feel as different as a court building does from a spa retreat?
My research started with clutter. It was apparent to me how clutter affected the feel of an environment in every way. Not only did it make a huge difference in the way a home needed to be cleaned (and how clean I could actually get it), but also how easily one could move through the house, how relaxed one could be in it, how easily one could find things and therefore function within it, even how comfortable one was with having guests over. My research covered everything from hoarding to extreme Minimalism, involving books, videos, TV series, documentaries, and articles. I eventually attended a 3-day study in New York with Marie Kondo (who later went to have her own Netflix Series, Tidying Up with Marie Kondo), becoming certified as a KonMari consultant.
This was a solid start for me in terms of solving the mystery of how homes really worked. But the next steps to take were indicated by clues scattered throughout my decluttering studies in the form of various, brief references. These references brought two things to my attention: Feng Shui and Material Quality, as it related to waste and toxins. Feng Shui was referred to by Marie Kondo both in her books and in her personal lectures, and was usually in the context of something she'd cross-referenced with her own methods as a means of seeing if it was consistent with its principles. It was also used as a platform for a few decluttering books I read while initially learning all I could about the core concepts. Waste came to my attention more so as I observed the difficulties in letting go of items in the first place, as well as the energetic effects of plastics and particle board vs. more permanent, natural, eco-friendly alternatives.
While the principles and practices of reducing waste and seeking out more eco-friendly, natural, and where possible, organic options were easy enough to research thoroughly and practically, Feng Shui turned out to contain a level of depth I would not have guessed possible prior to looking into it. Every book seemed to have a different interpretation or opinion on the subject, and finding a local practitioner with significant credentials was not an option. This lead me to seek out The International Feng Shui School.
The Feng Shui Finale
I started my official Feng Shui Studies in 2017. This was admittedly both the most extensive and the most difficult-to-justify pursuit I'd explored since all this began. At the beginning of signing up for this, I knew that 1) I'd once been given a Feng Shui book I'd never opened from a boy-I-dated's Mother when I was 18, 2) It may or may not involve moving furniture, and 3) China. Chi. Maybe Dragons, I don't know but I hope so.
What I came to learn was that Feng Shui assimilated multiple facets of the concepts I was already researching, but ultimately approached the home from a raw-materials angle in which natural elements were incorporated to correct underlying energies. Over the course of my studies, I learned Classical, Form, and Intentional Feng Shui, as well as specific practices of Feng Shui that would cover Businesses, Landscaping, and specific needs as they would relate to a person's health, wealth, and even relationships. Knowing I was studying an ancient practice that centered around energy, I supplemented these ancient studies with those of the Modern Age, specifically Quantum and Theoretical Physics, as well as other school of energetic science as they would apply to applicable energy as it manifests in daily practices and life. My Feng-Shui Certification culminated with a 3-week study in China, where I got to experience first-hand the weirdness that is feeling your body weighed down by the bad Chi of a poorly-placed building nearby (plus some wicked-good Chinese Food).
From all of this, I've taken away the inescapable, exciting truth that there is no bottom to this rabbit hole. For every one facet of energy studies I reveal, another 5 show themselves for deeper exploration.
I've never thought I'd start a blog. I wanted neither the time commitment necessary nor the attention I would potentially draw to myself, not to mention, people can be real jerks when they want to be. But with these studies, and the various revelations they brought, it seemed almost necessary to not only share my own experiences and findings, but also to encourage others on similar paths to share their own, and potentially create a space in which we could expand while remaining real and accountable.
And so, these are the goals I've set for myself. Real expansion. Spiritual accountability. And helping as many people as I possibly can to transform their realities.
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